By Ibrahim Sheriff
The Kwara State Auditor General, Mr. Samuel Omoniyi Adeyeye who last week got a court order restraining his removal by the Kwara state government has been denied resumption into his office.
Adeyeye on earlier today, armed with the interim order of injunction given by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Akure went to his office along Sulu Gambari Road, GRA Ilorin to resume work but met another man on his seat.
He had earlier been removed from office as Auditor General of the State via a letter dated January 28th, 2022 by the Civil Service Commission which he approached the National Industrial Court, Akure to challlenge.
Meanwhile, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq had, on 27th January, 2022 wrote a letter to the State House of Assembly seeking the removal of Auditor General of State, Adeyeye Samuel.
AbdulRazaq said Adeyeye was found culpable of misconduct, least expected from Public Officer of his status, capable of misleading the government and the general public.
He noted that the Auditor General claimed that he had not been able to cash-back the allocation due to his office as he later confirmed that he had accessed thirty percent of the allocation as at June last year.
The Governor also claimed the Auditor General indicted sixty seven (67) Ministries Department and Agencies in his publication of 2019 State Audit Report as only Thirteen (13) MDAs were later confirmed by him to have Audit Queries.
Consequently, the embattled Auditor General had sought the declaration of the court that his removal was a breach of Section 127 (1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as ammended) was in consequence null, void and of no effect.
The Auditor General on Tuesday arrived his office complex on Tuesday at 9:45am and met on arrival by some sympathetic staff who followed him upstairs to his office.
He was seen to have entered the office and met one of the senior staff of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Taju Tiamiyu on his desk functioning as Acting Auditor General. He emerged fifteen minutes later (10 am).
Fielding questions from journalists, Adeyeye said he had come to the office in line with the interim injunction of NICN restraining the governor, who is the first Defendant/Respondent in his suit No. NICN/IL/01/2022 from to “hand over the duties of his office to any person whatsoever, oending the hearing and determination his Motion on Notice”.
He added that he however found Mr. Tiamiyu on his desk which he as law abiding citizen took it calmly to listen to the man’s explanation.
According to him, Tiamiyu claimed ignorance of any court order but requested him to come back on Wednesday when he must have cross checked from the appropriate quarters.
The Auditor told journalists that he would be back as requested to fulfill all righteousness but said as a citizen, he would like to counsel governments and all those at the helm of affairs at all levels to respect orders of the court saying; “it is simply very dignifying to do so”.
Hearing in the substantive suit is billed to commence in Akure this Thursday; March 10, 2022.
